1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to emergency services; providing a procedure 
  1.3             for certain emergency medical aid arrangements; 
  1.4             authorizing a city or nonprofit firefighting 
  1.5             corporation to impose a service charge for emergency 
  1.6             services; providing for the collection of delinquent 
  1.7             service charges; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, 
  1.8             section 12.03, subdivision 9; proposing coding for new 
  1.9             law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 471.  
  1.10  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.11     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 12.03, 
  1.12  subdivision 9, is amended to read: 
  1.13     Subd. 9.  [POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.] "Political subdivision" 
  1.14  means a county, city, town, or a metropolitan airports 
  1.15  commission organized and existing under sections 473.601 to 
  1.16  473.679.  In section 12.27, political subdivision also means an 
  1.17  independent nonprofit firefighting corporation incorporated or 
  1.18  organized under chapter 317A.  
  1.19     Sec. 2.  [471.477] [CHARGES FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES; 
  1.20  COLLECTION.] 
  1.21     Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITION.] For the purpose of this 
  1.22  section, "city" means a statutory or home rule charter city or 
  1.23  an independent nonprofit firefighting corporation incorporated 
  1.24  or organized under chapter 317A providing emergency services 
  1.25  within a statutory or home rule charter city.  
  1.26     Subd. 2.  [IMPOSITION OF CHARGES FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES.] A 
  1.27  city may impose a reasonable service charge for emergency 
  2.1   services, including fire, rescue, medical, and related services 
  2.2   provided by the city or contracted for by the city.  If the 
  2.3   service charge remains unpaid 30 days after a notice of 
  2.4   delinquency is sent to the recipient of the service or the 
  2.5   recipient's representative or estate, the city or its contractor 
  2.6   on behalf of the city may use any lawful means allowed to a 
  2.7   private party for the collection of an unsecured delinquent debt.
  2.8      Subd. 3.  [UNPAID SERVICE CHARGE.] If a service charge 
  2.9   authorized by subdivision 2 remains delinquent on September 1 of 
  2.10  any year, the city may give written notice by September 15 to 
  2.11  the owner, lessee, or occupant of taxable real property in the 
  2.12  city who is the recipient of the service of the city's intention 
  2.13  to certify the charge to the county auditor.  The delinquent 
  2.14  charge may then be certified to the county auditor on or before 
  2.15  October 15 and then is subject to the same penalties, interest, 
  2.16  and other conditions provided for the collection of property 
  2.17  taxes.